'Dr Trump' AI video prescribing treatment for 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' to critics goes viral

US President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video portraying himself as a doctor prescribing treatment for "Trump Derangement Syndrome", drawing sharp reactions online and from his political critics.

Late on Wednesday, Trump shared a 90-second AI-generated video on Truth Social portraying himself as "Dr Trump", offering a fictional treatment for what he calls "Trump Derangement Syndrome" (TDS), a term frequently used by his supporters to mock critics of the president.

The clip features AI-generated versions of celebrities including Robert De Niro, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O'Donnell, Julia Roberts, Edward Norton and John Leguizamo, who appear as fictional "patients" praising Trump's treatment after supposedly overcoming their hostility towards him.

The satirical "prescription" advises viewers to stop watching "fake news", pray and drink Diet Coke—a nod to Trump's well-known fondness for the soft drink. While clearly presented as parody, the video quickly spread across social media and television, generating both amusement among supporters and criticism from opponents over its use of AI-generated likenesses of real people.

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The episode is the latest example of Trump's growing reliance on AI-generated imagery and videos to communicate political messages. Over the past year, he has shared several AI-created posts depicting himself in exaggerated or symbolic roles, reflecting a broader trend in modern political communication where synthetic media is increasingly used to shape narratives, energise supporters and dominate online discourse.

Trump's latest post therefore reflects more than another social media controversy. It illustrates how artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly influential element of political branding, with deepfake technology evolving from an internet novelty into a mainstream instrument of modern campaigning.

As AI capabilities continue to improve, governments, technology companies and election regulators are likely to face growing pressure to define where political satire ends and potentially misleading synthetic media begins.

The controversy extends beyond partisan politics. Experts have repeatedly warned that generative AI is blurring the distinction between satire, political messaging and misinformation. Although many viewers recognise such videos as parody, increasingly realistic AI tools have made it easier to create convincing content that can spread rapidly before context is established.